Happy International Women’s Day

Today is rather a significant, landmark day for our country.

This is the first year (that I can remember in my 30+ years) that American citizens are gathering together en-masse to recognize International Women’s Day. A day commemorating the global struggle for equal rights and the important contributions that women are making to society.

Ladies (and a few gents), in case you were wondering — women do a whole f*cking lot!

Sadly, the impetus to this grand gesture towards the female population is political upheaval and conflict. I guess this is what you can call the silver lining to all of the post-election chaos in our country. I don’t generally veer into politics or government — this just isn’t the proper forum for that — but something has been on my mind lately that I felt I was ready to express.

As I write about designer shoes and all the fun and whimsy that comes with fashion, sometimes I feel guilty that I’m not delving into important societal issues like feminism, women’s rights, immigration policy, education, transgender rights and international relations. Because I’m not publicly writing about these things, doesn’t mean that they are not significant topics that weigh on my mind.

I’m sure there are many politically vocal and active people out there that assume that as a woman, it’s disappointing that I don’t speak my voice more and make room for bi-partisan commentary on the issues we as women face today.

Just take a look at my Facebook feed — there are a lot of people with a lot of opinions.

Well, here’s my opinion.

Why can’t I love all of the escape of style AND still be an intelligent, thoughtful and active person that makes a difference — even if the medium I use is fashion!? Why can’t I love shoes AND care about the refugee crisis? Caring about how you look and caring about geo-political issues are not mutually exclusive things.

Our personal style is so much a part of who we truly are. What we wear and how we present ourselves not only impacts our own self-esteem, but how others see us as well. However, once you take the time to get to know someone (or even get to know yourself) it’s important to delve a little deeper. We’re all such complex beings, but at the core of it all we’re good people who want to do good things.

At least, I’d like to think most of us are.

So, ditch the guilt – the superficial (beauty, fashion, style, etc.) is not nearly as superficial as people think. Once you’re done, use that energy to focus on making positive changes.

Stay informed. Stay active. Stay inspired.

Most importantly, stay true to who you are — fancy shoes and all.

(P.S. — Since we all have our go-to news sources, I thought I would share mine: THE POLAR NEWS. What I love about this subscription e-mail news service — it’s free, by the way– is that is breaks down an issue from both sides. The highly polarized perspectives help me see every story from both angles and ultimately, form my own opinions.)